Fireproof building construction.



' PATENTED EEB. 4, 1908.y

O COLLINS.

FINEPROOP BUILDING OONSTNOOTION.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.14. 1906.

UNITED STATES PATENT CORNELIUS COLLINS, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNI.

FInEPRoor BUILDING oonsrnucrren.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

'Patented Feb. a, reos'.

Application filed March 14, 1906. Serial No. 305.9222.

`useful improvements in fireproof building construction', and it consists of the parts and the constructions and combinations of parts which I will hereinafter describe and claim.

In modern methods .of building it is thetendency to eliminate Wood and combustible material to as great an extent as io'ssible, and to substitute in lieu thereof bricstone,

concrete or other non-combustible materials.

It is also desirable on account of the costly character of the aforesaid structures tov economize the interior space as much as possible by making the interior Walls,v ceilings, and iloors, as thin as is consistent with strength and suiicient solidity to maintain them in place without vibration, and to m'ake them iireproof.

In the most approved methods of iirqnool' constructionsstructural metal is used, this being in the form of thin strips ol.' sheetmetal having,r little inherent rigidity in themselves, and these areso connected with eachother and with supporting beams` or nunnbersby lateral or transverse braces as to l'orm rigid structures capable of supporting tiles, vor mortar, concrete, or other plastic material which will harden after apiheation whereby the metal and concrete becomemutually supporting, and the metal -parts are protected from the direct action of heat or from destruction byA oxidation.

In some of the more recent constructions, tiles or slabs of com osition have been extensivcly used as p aster boards7 or surfaces upon which the )laster is directlyap-A plied these tiles or sla s being usually com-V posed of reproof material as fire clay, or a composition of earthy or mineral mat-ter eontairnnfr asbestos, said tiles or slabs usually exten "ng from one upright or beam to another and. forming a partition or ceiling surface adapted to receive the iinishing coat of plaster. These tiles or slabs may be. einployed for what is termed a solid partition 1n which ease their thickness may substantially equal the Width of the strips with which they are associa( ed, or said tiles or slabs may be 'much narrower than the thickness of the Completed partition and may be iced from each other to form what is lcnorm as a hollowpar ion.

ln the a ,.eomnni;V ing drawings forming iart of this si cation ai n which similar letters of reference indicate. like parts throughout the several views,-l `igure l, represents in lverspective a plurality oi vvertical luprights `or strips with intermediate slabs forming substantially a. hollow partition. Fig. 2, is a horizontal sectional vieuY on the line :rof Fig. l. i l? ig. 3, shows n1yinventionas used in connection with 'a side cut strip. Fig. 4, illustrates a. means for attach- 'ing the up ermost tiles or slabs of a tier of Fig. 5, represents one of the securing clips detached. lf-igs'f (-5, 7 and 8, are modifications to be referred to. Fig. 9, illustrates a method of uniting the ends of overlapping portions of bracing strips.

In carrying ont my invention I prefer to e1n],ilo \r uprigl'its oi' thin metal having in vthemselves but little inherent rigidity said strips being preferably, but not necessarily, ol a width which a proxin'iates the thickness of the proposmlI partition from side to side. minus` the outer covering ol plastic material. From these nprighis .I cut tongues or strips L which l beml transversely, or at any desired angle, to the length of the uprights and secure their free ends by some approved method to an adjacent upright or to a eorrespomling tongue or strip thereof whereby the tongues or strips serve as means for braeing and retaining the light metallic structure in position and making it substantially rigid.

'lhe tongues or strips manbe out from the longitudinal central portions oll the uprights and may be so out as to leave one end-permanenthv a-ll'arhed to the upright, or the tongues` ma)v be ronnmsed ol separate strips secured to and extemling between adjacent uprights as .shown in Fig. (j.

'l`l1e tiles, .slabs or plaster-boards li shown in Fig. l nre oi' the ('hnlinfter now' eXtensively'used infiireprool' building constructions and are, preliernlily, made of Loi'nposilion containing more. or less oi asbestos, or lire-elsa or other suitable 1mi-ferial, They extend from one upright loanother, (the uprights being amiroi'iriately spaced apart for this purpose) and they laid vertically tiles or sla s.

on edge in courses as shown with their outer surfaces approximately flush with the outer edges ofthe uprights. In practice, the lowermost tile or slab or plaster board cfa tier on each Vside of the partition will be appropriately supported by the floor beams or other construction, and the succeeding tiles or slabs of the same tiers will be supported one on the other edgewise as shown until the required height of the partition is obtained after which the uppermost slabs of opposite tiers may be substantially tied together by a clip C whlch as shown' in Fig. 4 may consist of a piece of sheet metal adapted to extend across the said uppermost slabs said piece being split at opposite points and the split portions bent to form tongues b, b', said tongues b being preferably alternately placed" With reference to the tongues b] and being adapted' to be bent downwardly to lie against the inner sides of the tiles or slabs and the other tongues t being likewise bent downwardly to lie against the outer sides of the tiles or slabs. This arrangement serves to brace the top tiles o r slabs internally and externally against lateral .movement It will be understood, of course, that the other tiles or slabs of the tier and the top-most ones too, if necessary, will be braced against internal movement because 'of anyextcrnal force by the' tongues or Abraces a which extend from upright to .upright across the -backs of and in contact with the tiles or l slabs.

In order tofurther secure the tiles or -slabs against lateral displacement, I` employ the chps D which outer faces of the tiles or slabs a suilicient distance to form a reinforce against the outv Ward movement of the slabs. The tiles or slabs are thusonfined in place between-parallel uprights so thatthey cannot be readily dis laced by a transverse force applied eit er internally or externally. When thus arranged, and held they form a rigid surface for. the reception of the, plaster or plastic outer coating of the partition.

While I have thus far described a partition of parallel tiles or slabs forming what is known as a hollow partition, it will be inani fest that the partition may be constructed solid or of tiles or slabs whosethickncss is about equal-to the thickness of' the proposed artition. I show such a solid construction 1n Fig. 3 in connection the braces vor tongues d cut from the edges vthereof which braces may form bottom ports for the slabs as well as braces for t e uprights. The form of clip E used with the are preferably formed of sheet' metal split at opposite ends to form the bendwith uprights having.

side cut brace may also vary from the .one used with lcenter-cut braces so longas there is p. r.sent tongues adapted to be bent4 l over -the outer faces of the tiles or slabs/to i retain said tiles or slabs against'lateral displacement.

Even wi the braces'may be arranged at such distances apart vertically that the space inclosed by two adjacent braces and the two adjacent uprights will be in the form of a housing whose dimensions will approximate the 'height and width of the slab which it is intended to inclose as in Fig. G, in which case the said tiles or slabs will rest upon the braces, in the manner described for't-he 'side out strips. Also, if desired, the uprights may have tongues e e. cut from opposite edges, said tongues being bent right and left with the tongues of onev edge of one upright extending towards the like tongues of cor.- responding edges of the adjacent strip, this arrangement -inclosing or housing the edges of the slabs substantially in the manner before described.

Whenever the braces or tongues extend directly from upright to upright, it is desirable that the v said tongues be given a length in excess of the distance between the uprlghts so that the brace or tongue from one upright will overlap the base of the brace or tongue of the next upright, and when this is done some provision should be made for Asecuring said overla ping portions. One method of securing t rese overlapping portions may be by punching or otherwise forming each overla) )ing portion with a small tongue or bendable s )ur g and a slot h and so locking these parts t iat, when the braces or strips are overla pcd, the tongue or spur g of one brace wil register with the "corresponding slot of the other brace whereby said tongue or spur maybe passed through said slot and then bent to one side to secure the parts together. When the wall is built up as before de.- scribed, no metal` lathing is necessary as the plaster coat may be applied directly to the exposedsurfaces of the tiles or slabs, and the partition-finished in the usual manner. The foregoing arrangement may also be applied to ceiling construction without any departure. from the spirit of my invention in which case the. strips A instead of being u right will be horizontally disposed in tlIie sustained in place between adjacent str ips and retainingr clips' in the manner substantially as hereinbefore pointed out.

' If desired, additional clips lE shown in attached to the braces or tongues an having projecting tongues which may be vbent' upsecure` the slabs in place.

manner well known in this artand the-slab l th the Ilcenter-cut arrangement,

dottc'd lines in Fig. 3, may be emplo ed and ward and downward, one or both, `toufurther essere Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. A ireproof building construction corn prising parallel strips and transverse bracing pieces extending therebetween, tiles or slabs between said strips and serving as a surface for an outer plaster coating, and clips extend-- ing transversely across the vstrips and embracing the strips and having tongues adapted to be bent over 'the slabs or tiles parallel with the sides thereof whereby the slabs or edges -o portions at the ends ada ted to be bent over tiles are retained in place against lateral displacement.

2. A ireproof building construction comthe sides of the slabs or tiles to bold .the slabs or tiles' against lateral displacement.

3. A fire proof -buildin construction hav- V combination para el stri s and transverse bracing pieces extending t erebetween, tiles or slabs between said pieces serving as a l surface for the outer'plastic coating, andA -clips extending transversely across the strips clips having a plnraiseriesci tongues with. the tongues of one series bent in one o irecv i l l n i I and embracingthe enges'cr the latter, said tion over the edges ci" .the strips and` the f tongues of the other series bent in an zippo# site direction over the siabs or tiles WherebyI the latter are retained in place against Y i. `4 4. A lire proof 'building construction bavlateral displacement. f

ing in combination a raine worlrlnf Struetural metal and parallei conrses'of spaced fire resisting slabs or tiles w...,rranged on edge, l and means engaging the side edges for liolfl', ing the slabs in piace against liateral displace? nient, and means for spacing and connecting'- the uppermost slabs or tiles of adjacent courses, said lastnamed means coni rising a clip extending transversely across t e space between parallel tiles and over the top edges of said tiles, said. clip being divided longitu-V dinally from both ends to form a double set oit-ton ues at eacli end, tbe tongues of one set being ent over'the outer sinace of the slab and the tongues of the other set being bent over the inner surface of the tiles..

In testimony whereof l leave hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CORNELUS JQLLNS. Witnesses: y

Roer.' Weiss, JAMES Sunnis. 

